How to Factory Reset Windows 11

A reset reinstalls Windows 11 from scratch and puts every system setting back to default. It is the fastest fix for a PC that has become slow, unstable or cluttered, and it is the standard step before you sell, recycle or hand on a computer. Because it can erase data, it is worth understanding the options before you start rather than clicking through the wizard blind.

Reset this PC, step by step

This is the built-in method and the one Microsoft recommends for a standard factory reset. The path and the option names below match Microsoft's own Reset your PC support article.

1. Open Settings — press

   Windows + I

   or choose it from the Start menu.
2. In the left sidebar select System, then scroll down and click Recovery. The direct path is:

   Settings › System › Recovery

3. Under Recovery options, find Reset this PC and click the Reset PC button.
4. Choose how much to remove:
   • Keep my files — reinstalls Windows and removes your apps and settings, but leaves your personal files in place.
   • Remove everything — deletes your files, apps and settings for a genuine factory reset.
5. Choose how Windows is reinstalled:
   • Cloud download — downloads a fresh copy of Windows 11 (roughly 4 GB) from Microsoft's servers.
   • Local reinstall — rebuilds Windows from files already on the PC, with no large download.
6. If you are giving the PC away, click Change settings on the confirmation screen and turn on Clean data (and, on a multi-drive PC, Delete files from all drives). More on that below.
7. Review the summary of what will happen, then click Next and Reset. The PC restarts several times and finishes on its own — this can take anywhere from about 20 minutes to a few hours depending on the options you chose.

Keep my files vs Remove everything

This first choice decides what survives the reset.

Keep my files is the right pick when the PC is yours and you want a clean-running Windows without losing your data. It wipes installed programs and returns settings to default, but your Documents, Pictures, Desktop and other personal folders stay. You will need to reinstall your apps afterwards. This is the go-to option for fixing sluggish performance, broken updates or a system that has accumulated too much junk.

Remove everything is a full factory reset. It deletes personal files, apps and settings, returning the PC to a like-new state. Use it when you are selling, donating or recycling the machine, or when a problem is stubborn enough that you want a completely fresh start. Because it erases your data, back up anything you need first.

Cloud download vs Local reinstall

After the first choice, Windows asks how it should get its installation files. Both routes end with the same Windows 11; they differ only in the source.

• Cloud download fetches a fresh, up-to-date copy from Microsoft. Choose it if you have a solid internet connection, or if the on-device recovery image is missing or corrupted — a common reason a local reset fails. It uses several gigabytes of data, so avoid it on a metered or mobile connection.
• Local reinstall rebuilds Windows from files already stored on the PC, with no download. It is faster on a slow connection and works offline, but it will fail if those recovery files are damaged — in which case switch to Cloud download.

When in doubt on a healthy PC with good broadband, Cloud download is the more reliable modern default.

Selling or giving away a PC: the "Clean data" option

A normal Remove everything reset does a quick format. Your files are marked as deleted but the underlying data lingers on the drive, and recovery tools can often rebuild it. That is fine if you are keeping the PC, but not if it is about to belong to someone else.

On the confirmation screen, click Change settings and you will see two toggles:

1. Clean data — when on, Windows overwrites the drive so files cannot be easily recovered. Microsoft describes it as removing files and cleaning the drive, and points to it in the Reset your PC documentation if you plan to donate, recycle or sell the machine. This is the setting to enable before selling or donating a computer. It adds significant time — often several hours, especially on a large or traditional hard drive.
2. Delete files from all drives — on by default only the Windows drive is cleaned. Turn this on to also wipe additional internal drives. External USB drives are not touched, but unplug them to be safe.

Before you start, sign out of and remove your Microsoft account, and turn off BitLocker (or record its recovery key). That leaves the next owner with a clean device and no ties to your account.

If the reset won't start or won't finish

If Reset this PC is greyed out, errors out, or the PC will not boot into Windows at all, you still have options:

• Reset from the recovery environment. Hold Shift while clicking Restart, or interrupt boot three times to reach Windows Recovery (WinRE), then choose Troubleshoot › Reset this PC. The same Keep my files / Remove everything choices appear. Microsoft Learn's Windows Recovery Environment technical reference lists holding Shift while selecting Restart among WinRE's entry points, and notes that WinRE also starts on its own after two consecutive failed attempts to start Windows.
• Create a recovery drive in advance. Search the Start menu for

  recoverydrive.exe

  and follow the wizard to build a bootable USB recovery drive (a 16 GB or larger stick). Keep it somewhere safe — it can start and reset a PC that no longer boots.
• Fresh Start / clean install. Older Windows builds had a separate Fresh Start tool; that capability is now folded into Reset this PC with the Cloud download option, which gives you the newest Windows without preinstalled manufacturer extras. For the most thorough result, download the Media Creation Tool from Microsoft, build a bootable USB, and do a full clean install — the strongest way to clear deep-seated problems.